How to Fix Thunderbird Not Working with Gmail – Updated Guide

While configuring Gmail manually in Mozilla Thunderbird, the user might have provided inaccurate IMAP server details. This leads to connection errors, resulting in Thunderbird not working with Gmail. In this article, we will explore various techniques to resolve this issue, both manually and using a professional tool. The professional tool, the Cigati Thunderbird Backup Tool, securely backs up the Thunderbird emails. This tool also ensures backing up the emails with full data integrity.

Why Thunderbird Does Not Work with Gmail?

A variety of reasons exist why users get to fix the problem; Thunderbird is not working with Gmail. Have a look at them:

• The misconfigured server settings in Thunderbird can cause connection errors failing Gmail from opening. 
• Gmail may reject Thunderbird if there are authentication mismatches or if sign-in protocols are not followed. 
• Thunderbird login fails to connect unless an app password is used if 2FA is enabled. 
• Older versions of Thunderbird without modern authentication may be refused by Gmail’s policies.
• If the IMAP subscriptions aren’t configured properly, the Gmail folders or labels may not appear correctly. 

How to Fix Thunderbird Not Working with Gmail?

Let us now look at the solutions to fix this issue. We will begin with the manual solutions first, followed by a professional tool solution. 

Solution 01: Enable IMAP in Gmail

Follow these instructions to enable IMAP in Gmail:

1. Open the Gmail application on your browser and sign in with your account.
2. Then, click on the gear icon and press the See all settings option.
3. Next, go to Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab and head to IMAP Access section.
4. Enable IMAP and save the changes. 

Solution 02: Check IMAP Server Settings

The following are the steps to verify settings if Thunderbird Gmail authentication failure occurs: 

1. Lunch Thunderbird and then click on the menu icon.
2. After that, go to Settings > Account Settings and choose your desired Gmail account.
3. Navigate to the Server Settings and verify the server settings as:

Server Name	imap.gmail.com
Port	993
Connection Security	SSL/TLS
Authentication Method	0Auth2

4. Similarly, check the SMTP server settings:

Server Name	smtp.gmail.com
Port	465 or 587
Connection Security	SSL/TLS or STARTTLS
Authentication Method	0Auth2
UserName	Gmail Email Address

5. Click on Ok to save the changes. 

Solution 03: Restart Thunderbird 

Perform these instructions to begin:

1. Click on File > Exit to exit the Thunderbird application.
2. Wait for some time to clear out the sessions or cached data.
3. Now, launch Thunderbird and wait for it reconnect to your Gmail account.
4. Complete the on-screen instructions to sign in to your Gmail account. 

Solution 04: Check if the Password is Outdated

Look at the steps to check for the outdated password:

1. Open Thunderbird and go to Tools > Options.
2. Then, select the Privacy & Security option and click on Saved Passwords.
3. After that, go to Show Passwords and remove the outdated passwords.
4. Now, restart Thunderbird and enter the password to add the Gmail account. 

Solution 05: Reconfigure Gmail account in Thunderbird

Look at the steps to begin adding the Gmail account if Thunderbird not connecting to Gmail:

1. Start the Thunderbird email client.
2. Go to the menu option and click on the Account Settings button.
3. Next, choose Account Actions > Remove and restart Thunderbird.
4. Again, go to the menu icon, press New > Existing Email Account, and fill in the Gmail account credentials.
5. Then, click on Done to save the account. Sign in to the Gmail account with the required permissions. 

Advanced Software to Fix Thunderbird Not Working with Gmail

The Cigati Thunderbird Backup Tool securely backs up the Thunderbird emails without any risk of data loss. Users can backup their Thunderbird emails into a preferred file format as well. Also, it offers selective backup of the folders and attachments without disturbing the original folder hierarchy. In addition to this, built-in features like date-based filters, splitting the large PST file, and more make the process efficient. 

Simple and quick steps to fix Thunderbird does not work with Gmail:

1. First, install the tool on your macOS system and then launch it.
2. After that, choose the Thunderbird profile from the available list.
3. Next, select the mailbox that you want to export and click Next to proceed.
4. Now, under the saving options, choose the desired file format in which you want to backup emails.
5. Configure the advanced filters and set the destination path.
6. Finally, click on Convert to finish the process. 

Conclusion

In this blogpost, we have mentioned traditional solutions to fix the Thunderbird not working with Gmail issue. Users can try every solution to solve the issue. In addition to these solutions, we have also introduced an expert tool. The expert tool, the Cigati Thunderbird Backup Tool, allows users to backup emails into their preferred file format. Experts recommend users to pick the tool over manual steps for a guaranteed solution.

You May Also Read: Thunderbird Not Working with Office 365

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